Temperature plays a crucial role in determining how you enjoy your camping. For example, excess heat can ruin your camping experience if you’re camping in the summer.
Now you may be thinking: Is it impossible to camp in summer? Obviously not; you can still camp in summer, but you have to take proper action to beat the heat.
Unfortunately, most campers are unaware of what actions they should take to beat the heat while camping. If you are so, don’t be concerned; just go through the entire context.
Here, we have talked about some effective ways to beat the heat while camping in summer for your convenience. So, stay tuned with us by reading the whole context.
Why Should You Beat The Heat While Camping?
Camping in hot weather leads to different potential problems, including heat cramps, heatstroke, and heat exhaustion. All of these will cause serious issues in different ways in your body.
Excess heat makes you tired, which will be the worst scenario while camping. This is because you won’t get proper support for treatment at the campsite. Apart from tiredness, there are several symptoms you don’t ignore, like weakness, headaches, heavy sweating, and dehydration.
Besides, if your body doesn’t use excess heat, allergies will be caused in your skin. In short words, camping in hot weather will be unbearable if you don’t take proper precautions.
Ways to Beat the Heat While Camping
After checking out the segment above, you might have figured out how irritating camping in hot weather would be. That’s why here we have talked about some significant ways to beat the heat while camping. So, let’s check what these are:
1. Choose A Higher Campsite
If you’re planning to camp in the summer, look for a campsite at a high elevation. In that case, you can take the help of a topographic map to find the high-elevation areas.
Due to the atmospheric pressure, if you go up, the temperature will reduce to around 3.5 degrees for every 1,000 feet. That means the higher elevation you choose to set up camp at, the lower temperature you will get.
2. Set Up A Proper Tent
Tent plays a crucial role in making you cool during summer camping. In that case, you can set up a heat-protective tent that will keep you cool inside the tent. This type of tent is designed with a heat-protective layer reflecting the sun’s rays, preventing the heat from entering the tent.
Besides, you will also find some tents with air conditioner slot that allow you to set up portable AC. Connecting your portable air conditioner to this tent can make a cool temperature inside your tent.
3. Camp Near Water
Select a campsite near a river, lake, or ocean if possible. This is because the water can help to remain you cool in summer. Kayaking, swimming, and playing with water guns will keep you cool during sunny weather.
Not only that, the air coming off the water will make you feel cool, just like air conditioner air. However, remember that setting up a camp near the water source can be dangerous if you come camping with your children.
4. Avoid Making Campfire
Making a campfire to cook meals won’t be ideal during hot and humid weather. Instead, you can use a camp stove that won’t create excess heat to cook your meals. There are several types of cook stoves you will find on the marketplaces that are specially designed and made to use in hot weather.
In that case, it is better to bring food to the campsite that requires low heat to cook. Besides, you can bring dry food, such as peanut sandwiches, butter, and cinnamon rolls. This will help you make less heat in the campsite, making you feel cool and enjoy the camping.
5. Set Up Your Tent In A Shady Spot
While setting up your tent at the campsite, choose a shady spot. You can consider the sun’s position to find out the spot that will provide the most shade during the hot day. In that case, it is better to set up your tent where several trees are located in the surroundings.
Trees will help you to get your desired shade on the tent, making you don’t feel too hot. However, while setting up your tent under trees, ensure there are no broken branches that can fall at any time on your tent.
6. Use A Cooler Camping Fan
Using a portable camping fan on your tent will help to keep you cool in hot weather. This fan will circulate air inside your tent, which helps to prevent stuffiness. Besides, if your gear gets wet from rain or condensation, you can use the cooler fan to dry them out.
The good thing is portable camping fans are too small and portable that can be carried anywhere you wish. Additionally, it won’t take up a lot of space in your tent and can be set in any place, including the tent ceiling.
7. Wear Light-Color And Loose-Fitting Clothes
Wearing dark-colored clothes on sunny days will make you much hotter. This is because dark colors can easily absorb all the wavelengths of light and convert it into heat.
For that reason, if you wear dark-colored clothes on summer days, you will feel too hot. In contrast, wearing light-colored and loose-fitting clothes will make you feel cool since light color reflects all the wavelengths of light, instead of absorbing them.
That’s why it is better to wear lightweight, light-colored, and loose-fitting clothes during summer camping. In that case, you can choose clothes made of fabrics like linen or cotton that will keep you cool.
8. Stay Hydrated
Camping in the heat will lead to falling into dehydration, which is critical to your comfort, safety, and health. This is because sweat is triggered by heat, causing dehydration. For that, you have to drink more water than you usually drink on a regular day.
Additionally, if you engage in activities such as hiking or biking, your sweat glands will trigger more sweat from your body. That’s why it is better to drink sufficient water to stay hydrated during a summer camp.
9. Take Down The Tent On Day
Although taking down the tent on the day sounds tempting, it will give you a peaceful night’s sleep. Your tent can absorb heat if you spread it under the sun’s rays.
For that, when you sleep at night, the tent will unbind all the trapped heat, making you feel uncomfortable. So, it will be better to take down the tent during the day and install it at night to avoid excess heat.
Some Commonly Asked Questions
Campers are usually afraid to go camping in summer due to excess heat. They have different queries about beating the summer heat. For that, here we have answered some questions collected from campers all over the world. Check the answer; you may find these helpful.
1. What Temperature Is Not Suitable For Camping?
A temperature of 90 °F (30 °C) or above is considered a high risk for camping outside. According to the heat index, temperatures that range cause different health illnesses. So, it will be better to postpone your camping plan until the temperature is down a few degrees.
2. What To Do If My Campsite Doesn’t Have Enough Shade?
If your campsite doesn’t have enough shade, it will be challenging to stay inside the tent due to the hot sun rays. In that case, you can create shade shields of your own.
Using reflective survival blankets, you can easily create shields over your tent. However, hang the created shield high enough above your tent to ensure proper airflow.
3. Should I Remove My Tent’s Rain Fly?
Yes, you should remove the rain fly from the top of your tent. This is because rain flies usually increase the temperature inside the tent. If you remove the fly, the tent’s inside heat will escape, making you feel cool.
However, before removing the rain fly, ensure there is no rain possibility in the forecast.
4. Is It Ideal To Sleep In A Hammock While Camping?
Yes, you can sleep in a hammock to get rid of heat while camping. Hammocks are designed to sleep in the open sky, which allows you to get good airflow.
For that, you won’t feel too much heat while camping in summer. However, while setting a hammock, choose a shady spot; otherwise, you can’t sleep in the hammock for sun rays.
Conclusion
Camping in summer will be troublesome for campers because of the unbearable heat, which can cause different health issues. Due to the heat, your entire camping enjoyment will be ruined. For that, it should be better to take all the potential ways to beat the heat while camping.
However, you may have already figured out what actions you have to take to beat the heat. Following the techniques discussed above, you can easily lessen the heat and sleep comfortably at night.